good news for wolakp

robs42

Well-Known Member
PEB Forum Veteran
a friend of mine, who is a member here (WolakP) just retired from the Army after 20yrs. and applied for VA benefits when he was out processing. he just received 70%. he was not involvedin any MEB process he just retired when his time was up. hopefully this is good news for the rest of us. he was an EOD tech and is now working for a civ. contract company in the same field.
he is interested in fighting some of his rateings, but does not want to be unemployable. i know he got 50% for sleep apnia and i think he got 3 misc 10% ratings and a 0%. any suggestions on what he should do? i told him to get w/a vet's agency rep.
i will also have him get off of his a$$ and chime in here. but like i said hopefully this good news for us.
 
Wolakp should make certain he is receiving Concurrent Retirement Disability Pay (CRDP). With a 50% rating he is eligible and he can verify this with DFAS, they have a hotline. This is a significant amount of money. He is fortunate to receive 70% right out of the box. If he disagrees with a rating he can file a Notice of Disagreement (NOD) and state his reasons for disagreement and submit any new evidence to support his case. An Independent Medical Opinion (IMO) supporting his condition is often crucial in pushing VA to increase a rating. The VA will respond with a Statement of Case (SOC) describing their decision matrix. They can agree or disagrr with the NOD. There are a number of other avenues of appeal and hearings that wld take a lot of detail to describe here. The process is cumbersome and time consuming so it depends on how hard you want to fight the VA and the strength of your medical evidence. I have been successful with my VA claims without using a Veterans Service Representative or Organization (VSO). The VSOs in my area are about the same as some of the PEBLOs I have encountered. Good luck Wolakp

D
 
wolakp,

Congratulations on your retirement!

Rob, I think it was your yankees signature block that was driving him nuts (I think the quote was "tucci is a good kid. But he's killing me with that Yankees crap."):D
 
I got fired up the last few days with the Western Conference Series underway! Being out here in New England has been tough for not seeing regulalry televised Spurs. So, I have been in heaven with this series being broadcast (and in HD!) on TNT/ESPN.

That lead me to start a Spurs Fans Social Group. And that lead me to look for a new sig block photo...and then I was surprised by how big it was. And I don't know how to re-size it! But I can't take it down! So, the people will have to suffer for a day or so until I can figure out how to resize it.

But ain't it a great poster!?!!?
 
Tuc, I think we know your problem is? Toborg!! I called the DAV in Pensacola and hopefully they will get back to me. I'm not really in a hurry on filing a NOD. Like Tuc said, 70% is pretty good. My issue is that my elbow is a mess, Tuc seen it and it was rated a 0%.

Jason, I think deep down inside you're a Piston Fan and that is OK.

fdmckeever, Thanks for the info. Like I said, not really in a rush. I've been traveling and trying to buy and sell a house.
 
wolakp,

I do like the Pistons. Chauncey is a great player. Only time I get conflicted is when they play the Spurs.

Okay, I figured out how to shrink the poster. It is still great, though.
 
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